Batch building and frigate costs

Later Type 23 frigates benefited from existing tooling, trained workers, and a settled anti-submarine design. The inflation-adjusted comparison puts the final three at roughly 60 million pounds each against about 130 million for the first ship. First-hull figures could also include the machinery and tooling needed to establish production, explaining the higher figure of about 180 million. Britain's batch-building pattern shifts yards between different classes, whereas the continuing American Arleigh Burke program includes ongoing development. Repeating an established design reduces unit costs, but the final Type 23s were Britain's last new frigates until the Type 26 and Type 31 programs. Ending production leaves a gap in both fleet renewal and the work needed to sustain shipbuilding capacity.